I finally got to see Straight No Chaser live last night. I had taken a couple of days off of work, driven three hours to get to Mobile, Alabama (since that was as close as they were coming to my hometown), and booked a hotel for the overnight stay. Since there aren't often concerts I want to see that badly, I obviously will go to some effort to see what truly interests me. This was one I had been looking forward to since I bought the tickets back in January, after getting my mom interested in going with me. (Given her dislike of crowds, this was an achievement!)
After reading other discussion threads here as well as being familiar with Straight No Chaser's music in general and the new CD in particular, I have to say that I had pretty high expectations for the show. To add to that, I knew I was genuinely excited when I was scouting the location of the theatre upon first arriving in Mobile and exclaimed, "There's the guys' bus!" I was, quite frankly, expecting something wonderful.
I'm not exactly sure when it occurred, though it had to be pretty early on, but Straight No Chaser came onstage, easily met my high expectations, blew past them, and kept going. There really aren't superlatives enough to describe the night. Being able to see these guys in person where their personalities get to really shine adds so much to the already superb singing. Suffice it to say that I had a smile of delight on my face for well over two hours. The only thing better than getting to relish the performance was watching my mom enjoy it so much. (A sidenote: I was a little surprised that the show wasn't sold out, but I do think those of us who were there were definitely appreciative. I certainly hope we came across that way, at any rate.)
Afterwards the guys came out for their meet and greet, which is an awesome thing to do for fans, especially given the rigors of their tour. I was a little nervous about it because I am not gregarious or tremendously outgoing with new people by nature, but I certainly wanted to meet them. Despite my trepidation, I have to say that every one of the guys was relaxed, friendly, ready to say hello and shake a hand. This made things much easier, though I did, of course, manage to embarass myself twice; once while talking with Seggie about his computer and then with Walt while discussing the Christmas songs he and Ryan arranged. I'll have to plead to being a little nervous and star-struck there, even though they all were exceedingly pleasant and not in the least haughty.
When the meet and greet was ending, I was able to ask Jerome if I could get a picture of him with my mom and he was very gracious about it. Then they guys all formed for group photos and we had our picture taken with the group. That was very unexpected and a great end to a memorable night.
So ... the title for this discussion was and wasn't a tease. After seeing them live, Straight No Chaser gave a performance that wasn't just what I expected - it was far more. Trying to urge anyone on this site to go see them is definitely preaching to the choir, but nonetheless, go see them! I will, anytime they come within a reachable driving distance of North Florida. (Guys? Jacksonville would be a great place to sing ... just saying ...)